Kyle McGovern

September 3, 2014 –
Adam Levine may or may not be the Sexiest Man Alive. He may or may not be a douchebag. But one thing is certain: The Maroon 5 frontman is a damn fine impressionist. Levine dropped by The Tonight Show last night to promote his band's new album, the recently released V, and to square off against Fallon in a battle of musical impressions.Actually, the segment was called "Wheel of Musical Impressions" and, like anything involving Fallon, the tone was too friendly and giggly to feel competitive. Still, Levine proved that he can mimic Frank Sinatra (singing "Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes" no less), do a solid Michael Jackson (covering the theme to Sesame Street), and conjure Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder with startling accuracy.

September 3, 2014 –
On September 23, the international David Bowie Is exhibition — a retrospective celebrating the music icon's career, legacy, and style — will make its way to Chicago. Launched in 2013 at London's Victoria and Albert Museum, the collection features more than 300 items from the David Bowie Archive, including original costumes, photos, handwritten lyrics, and album artwork, all of which will be on display in Chi-Town's Museum of Contemporary Art through January 4. The same day that David Bowie Is opens in Chicago, 100 movie theaters across the U.S.

August 27, 2014 –
Lately, Carl Newman has been listening to a lot of music. That may not be surprising, considering that the 46-year-old has made a career out of playing music, but as Newman explains, "sometimes when you're a musician, you're so absorbed in music being your life. For me, I would just forget to listen to music." For the last 15 years or so, Newman has led the New Pornographers, a Canadian power-pop band that not only boasts a bit of star-wattage — singer-songwriter Neko Case and indie-rock raconteur Dan Bejar, who records under the moniker of Destroyer, are both members — but has also built a brainy and electrifying body of work.

August 27, 2014 –
A few months ago, Dinosaur Jr. frontman J Mascis assisted Fred Armisen with his duties as band leader for Late Night With Seth Meyers. Now, Armisen has repaid the gesture by appearing in Mascis' newest music video, a Funny Or Die-approved clip for his solo single "Every Morning." Directed by Danny Jelinek, the grainy visual follows a fictional '70s cult — led by Mascis, naturally — called the Space Children of the Forest. The long-hairs enjoy their days out in nature, sipping Kool-Aid, and holding hands while their leader does what he does best — that is, until The Man (played by Armisen) turns them onto these new things called computers. Watch the flower children wilt above, and look out a cameo from Broken Bells/Shins mastermind James Mercer."Every Morning" appears on Mascis' Tied to a Star, his recently released one-man album that's out now on Sub Pop Records.

August 21, 2014 –
Dave Grohl and wife Jordyn Blum just had their third daughter together, so this ranks as the second-most exciting Grohl news of the day, but it's a biggie nonetheless: Foo Fighters have unleashed a star-studded trailer for their upcoming HBO show, Sonic Highways.

August 21, 2014 –
With their newest album title, Weezer promise Everything Will Be Alright in the End, but it looks like The End will come a little later than expected. So, maybe that's good news? The alt-rock giants have pushed the ninth LP's release date back from September 30 to October 7, as Pitchfork points out. Weezer broke the news on Tumblr, writing, "We have to release EWBAITE one week later than planned... This is a bummer and really hate to make our fans wait longer. We worked very hard to finish the album on time for you, so we're really sorry and hope you understand."To make it up to fans eagerly awaiting the follow-up to 2010's Hurley, Weezer will treat everyone who pre-orders the upcoming record on Pledge Music to an advance download of a new song on September 30. The offer is also available to any fresh pre-orders.

August 20, 2014 –
Earlier this week, word got out that Kanye West and Paul McCartney might be making music together, including a song called "Piss on My Grave." Now, Vulture has dug up some proof that might substantiate the rumored collaboration: a very brief Instagram clip that features a snippet of 'Ye repeatedly rapping, "Piss on your grave," over a brooding beat that wouldn't be out of place on West's 2013 masterpiece, Yeezus.From what we can tell, Macca's influence can't be heard on the video.As far as recently leaked Kanye bits go, this one files below the two-minute slice of "All Day" and the Insta-tease of his team-up with Chief Keef. But, given West and McCartney's respective track records, we'll give this one the benefit of the doubt. Listen below.

August 20, 2014 –
When SPIN dubbed the War on Drugs' latest album, Lost in the Dream, an Essential listen, writer David Menconi described the record as "a perfect distillation of wide-open claustrophobia." That dichotomy shines through in the Philadelphia band's latest music video, for Lost opener "Under the Pressure." Directed by Houmam and premiered on Vulture, the nine-minute clip finds frontman Adam Granduciel hunched over his guitar in the corner of a room, noodling away and looking out a window. When the camera isn't fixed on him, it's outside, moving and surveying a small-town landscape. The whole while, gorgeous swirls of color tint the perspective (the seaweed-green hue from Lost in the Dream's cover art makes an appearance) and eventually take over. Watch the visual above, and read more about Lost in the Dream on SPIN's list of the 50 Best Albums of 2014 So Far.

August 19, 2014 –
Yesterday, Taylor Swift announced her upcoming album, 1989, and unleashed the LP's horn-puffed lead single, "Shake It Off," a sure-to-be-ubiquitous track that's already inspired loads of overanalysis. There's been speculation about Swift's musical influences, discussion as to whether the song's twerk-tastic music video perpetuates racial stereotypes, and, yes, many, many (many) GIFs. But what about the title of the full-length itself? Where does 1989 (so-named because it's Swift's birth year) fit into the tradition of albums named after years?

August 19, 2014 –
Welcome to SPIN's weekly roundup of album streams. Follow the links below to hear new records from the New Pornographers, former SPIN cover star Ty Segall, Basement Jaxx, J Mascis, and more.1) The New Pornographers, Brill Bruisers. "Principal Pornographers AC Newman, Neko Case, and Dan Bejar (a.k.a. Destroyer) are all back on Brill Bruisers, alongside Blaine Thurier, John Collins, Kathryn Calder, Kurt Dahle, and Todd Fancey. Fittingly, Newman describes this new release as a 'celebration record.'" — SPIN (via iTunes Radio)2) Ty Segall, Manipulator. "Manipulator... recalls the way some of the best '90s bands captured that era while making their own timeless records for the canon. Segall's upper register makes his voice a dead ringer for that of Suede's Brett Anderson, and Manipulator showcases the mysterious swagger of that group's classic debut.